Florida weighs university exception for some undocumented students

Florida’s State University System Board of Governors is set to consider an exception to its planned ban on undocumented students enrolling at public universities, allowing students who were enrolled in a state college before spring 2027 to continue to a university. The exception would address a conflict with Florida’s 2+2 program, which guarantees qualifying state-college graduates a pathway to a public university and transfers 60 credits toward a bachelor’s degree. The board approved a rule in September barring people in the country unlawfully from the state’s 12 public universities starting in the 2027–28 academic year. Republican state leaders, including Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Education Commissioner Henry Mack, supported the restriction, arguing public universities should not be available to people without legal status and that taxpayers should not subsidize their education.